Sterile compartmented packaging arrangement

ABSTRACT

A medical procedure supply kit includes at least two compartmented trays adapted for containing medical supplies. The trays are separably connected to one another along a perforated edge. Each tray contains the medical supplies required for one stage of a multi-stage medical procedure. With this construction the medical supplies for each stage are kept together and useable in stages by separating the trays along the perforated edge and opening each tray separately.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterile compartmentedpackaging arrangement and more particularly to a medical proceduresupply kit that keeps medical supplies used in a multiple stage medicalprocedure that is conducted over a time interval of hours, days orlonger, sterile and together yet separable so that the necessarysupplies for a given stage can be accessed in stages when needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Many different medical supply kits and/or trays are available formany of the known medical procedures. These kits and/or trays typicallyinclude sterile medical supplies in some sort of sealed packaging.

[0003] Institutions and care providers are often compelled to obtainindividually packaged medical supplies, or kits and/or trays thatinclude all the medical supplies necessary for a medical procedurebundled in a single package.

[0004] However, many medical procedures are staged procedures, whereinsome medical items or supplies in a sterile condition are requiredpresently and other additional medical items in a sterile condition arerequired at a future period, hours or days later. In these situations,use of individually packaged medical supplies is not desirable and kitsand/or trays containing the required medical supplies once opened toobtain the items needed to begin a procedure suffer the fate of havingthe items required in future stages to become exposed to the environmentand pose a health risk when used in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention provides a package containing items for anytwo, or more, staged medical procedure in which a care provider requiressome items in sterile condition presently and other items for asubsequent stage or stages hours or days later.

[0006] The present invention also provides a sterile compartmentalpackaging arrangement wherein some items are used in a dirty part of theprocedure and for aseptic and infection control reasons the rest of theitems or components are kept sterile until just before the cleanprocedure use.

[0007] Accordingly a medical procedure supply kit meeting the needs andobjects of the invention includes at least two compartmented traysadapted for containing medical supplies. The trays are separablyconnected to one another along a perforated edge. Each tray contains themedical supplies required for one stage of a multiple stage medicalprocedure. With this construction the medical supplies for each stageare kept together and useable in stages by separating the trays alongthe perforated edge and opening each tray separately. Further, bothportions of the kit may be identified with the same code number to helpfacilitate accurate medical accounting and billing and tracking.

[0008] In a disclosed embodiment each tray includes a compartment havinga bottom and side walls and a cover removably sealed over thecompartment. Each compartment contains medical supplies. The compartmentand cover are made of plastic with suitable sterile barrier propertiesand the cover may be heat sealed or otherwise adhered over thecompartment.

[0009] The trays are adapted to maintain the medical supplies in asterile environment.

[0010] In a more specific embodiment, a medical procedure supply kit forhemodialysis machine procedure includes two compartmented traysseparably connected to one another along a perforated edge. Thenon-contact edges of the kit are not perforated. One of the trays isadapted to contain medical supplies for starting a patient on dialysis.The other tray is adapted to contain medical supplies for removing thepatient from dialysis. Supplies for starting and removing thehemodialysis patient from the diayzer machine are sometimes referred toas (ON-OFF) kits, or trays. This kit provides all the medical suppliesrequired for the staged procedure and allows a care provider to pull anON-OFF kit from medical supplies stock room, open each tray separately,when required, and separate the trays from one another for use.

[0011] The tray for starting dialysis may include drape, mask, sheet oflabels, PVP prep pad, alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes. The trayfor removing a patient from dialysis may include a dialysis use onlylabel, a sheet of labels, alcohol prep pads, non-vented plugs, needles,syringes and island dressing, or other items.

[0012] A method for use in a medical procedure requiring sterile medicalsupplies at spaced time intervals in the procedure, includes the stepsof:

[0013] providing a kit including a plurality of compartmented trayswherein the number of compartmented trays represents the spacedintervals in the procedure when sterile medical supplies are desired;

[0014] each compartmented tray is connected to another compartmentedtray along a perforated edge for separation by a care provider;

[0015] separating each compartmented tray as its sterile medicalsupplies are needed in the procedure;

[0016] opening the tray to access the needed medical supplies; and

[0017] repeating the steps of separating and opening according to thedemands of the procedure.

[0018] A method of using the kit in a dialysis procedure includes twocompartmented trays; one tray including sterile medical supplies forstarting dialysis; and the other tray including sterile medical suppliesfor removing a patient from dialysis.

[0019] The method includes the steps of separating the tray for startingdialysis from the tray for removing a patient from dialysis along saidperforated edge;

[0020] opening the tray for starting dialysis and using the sterilemedical supplies therein as needed to initiate dialysis; performing thedialysis; and

[0021] opening the tray to remove the patient from dialysis and usingthe sterile medical supplies therein as needed to discontinue dialysis.

[0022] These and other features and advantages of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following detailed description of theinvention taken together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In the drawings:

[0024]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medical procedure supply kitconstructed in accordance with the present invention; and

[0025]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medical proceduresupply kit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Referring now to the drawings in detail, a medical proceduresupply kit constructed in accordance with the present invention isgenerally indicated by reference numeral 10 and used by health careproviders to separate and make available medical items in sterilecondition for a medical procedure having multiple stages conducted overan extended time interval of hours, days or longer periods. As ishereinafter more fully described, the medical procedure supply kit 10provides separably connected trays which are separable for use andremain sterile until individually opened.

[0027] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and by way of example, anembodiment of the supply kit 10 is shown for use in a two stage medicalprocedure for dialysis.

[0028] Supply kit 10 includes two compartmented trays 12, 14. Tray 12 isadapted for containing medical supplies 16 for starting a patient ondialysis and tray 14 contains medical supplies 18 for removing a patientfrom dialysis. The trays, 12, 14 are separably connected to one anotheralong a perforated edge 20 extending continuously between the twocompartmented trays 12, 14.

[0029] Each tray 12, 14 includes a compartment 22 having a bottom 24 andinside 26 walls, and a cover 28 removably sealed over the compartmentcontaining the medical supplies 16, 18. The compartment 22 and cover 28are preferably made of a plastic type material and the cover is sealedover the compartment to maintain sterility of the medical suppliescontained therein.

[0030] In use, a care provider separates the trays 12, 14 from oneanother for use in the dialysis procedure. Tray 12, designated the ‘ON’tray, may include medical supplies such as a drape, mask, sheet oflabels, PVP prep pad, alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes. The tray12 is opened to provide access to the medical supplies therein and thepatient is started on dialysis after being attended to by the careprovider together with the use of the medical supplies contained in thetray.

[0031] After the dialysis procedure is completed, some hours later, thecare provider accesses tray 14, designated the ‘OFF’ tray, anddisconnects or removes the patient from the dialysis procedure. The tray14 may include a dialysis use only label, a sheet of labels, alcoholprep pads, non-vented closed, needles, syringes and a dressing, or otheritems.

[0032] As can be understood the sterile medical supply kit can be usedwherever medical supplies in a sterile condition are required presentlyand other medical supplies are required in a sterile condition forsubsequent stages of a multiple state medical procedure, hours or dayslater. Preferably such kits include a plurality of compartmented trayswherein the number of compartmented trays represents the spacedintervals in the medical procedure when sterile medical supplies aredesired. Each compartment and tray is connected to another compartmentedtray along a perforated edge extending continuously between eachcompartmented tray for separation by the user or care provider. Eachcompartmented tray can be separated from the others as its sterilemedical supplies are needed in the medical procedure.

[0033] Although the invention has been described by reference to aspecific embodiment, it should be understood that numerous changes maybe made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described.Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to thedescribed embodiment, but that it have the full scope defined by thelanguage of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A medical procedure supply kit comprising: atleast two compartmented trays adapted for containing medical supplies;said trays being separably connected to one another along a perforatededge; each said tray adapted to contain the medical supplies of onestage of a multi-stage medical procedure whereby the medical suppliesfor each stage are kept together and useable in stages by separating thetrays along the perforated edge and opening each tray separately.
 2. Themedical procedure supply kit of claim 1 wherein each tray includes acompartment having a bottom and side walls and a cover removably sealedover the compartment containing medical supplies.
 3. The medicalprocedure supply kit of claim 2 wherein said compartment and cover aremade of plastic and said cover is sealed over said compartment.
 4. Themedical procedure supply kit of claim 1 wherein said trays maintain themedical supplies in a sterile environment.
 5. A medical procedure supplykit for dialysis procedures, the kit comprising: two compartmented traysseparably connected to one another along a perforated edge; one of saidtrays adapted to contain medical supplies for starting a patient ondialysis; the other said trays adapted to contain medical supplies forremoving a patient from dialysis; whereby a care provider can separatethe trays from one another and open each tray separately.
 6. The medicalprocedure supply kit of claim 5 wherein said tray for starting dialysiscomprises at least one of a drape, mask, sheet of labels, PVP prep pad,alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes.
 7. The medical procedure supplykit of claim 5 wherein said tray for removing a patient from dialysiscomprises at least one of a dialysis use only label, a sheet of labels,alcohol prep pads, non-vented plugs, needles, syringes and dressing. 8.A method for use in a medical procedure requiring sterile medicalsupplies at spaced time intervals in the procedure, the methodcomprising the steps of: providing a kit including a plurality ofcompartmented trays wherein the number of compartmented trays representsthe spaced intervals in the procedure when sterile medical supplies aredesired; each compartmented tray being connected to anothercompartmented tray along a perforated edge for separation by a user;separating each compartmented tray as its sterile medical supplies areneeded in the procedure; opening the tray to access the needed medicalsupplies; and repeating the steps of separating and opening according tothe demands of the procedure.
 9. The method of claim 8 in a dialysisprocedure wherein said kit includes two compartmented trays; one of saidtrays including sterile medical supplies for starting dialysis; theother of said trays including sterile medical supplies for removing apatient from dialysis.
 10. The method of claim 9 including the steps ofseparating the tray for starting dialysis from the tray for removing apatient from dialysis along said perforated edge; opening the tray forstarting dialysis and using the sterile medical supplies therein asneeded to initiate dialysis; performing the dialysis; and opening thetray to remove the patient from dialysis and using the sterile medicalsupplies therein as needed to discontinue dialysis.